Machinist

Part-Time Machinist – Grinding & Blade Resurfacing SME / Trainer

Parker Industrial Tool
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Part-Time | Flexible Schedule | Ideal for Retired or Semi-Retired Machinists

Put Your Years of Experience to Work — Without Going Back to a Full-Time Job

Parker Industrial Tool is looking for an experienced machinist to join our team on a part-time, flexible basis as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Trainer for industrial blade grinding, sharpening, and resurfacing.

This is different from a traditional production machinist position.

We are looking for someone who has spent years learning the trade and would enjoy passing that knowledge on to others. Your primary role will be to help us improve our grinding operation, train our employees, establish best practices, and develop the next generation of skilled operators.

This could be an excellent opportunity for a retired or semi-retired machinist, toolmaker, grinder operator, or industrial sharpening professional in the Chattanooga or North Georgia area who would like to stay involved in the trade without returning to a full-time schedule.

What You'll Do

You'll work alongside our team to:

• Train employees in proper grinding, sharpening, and resurfacing techniques.
• Demonstrate correct setup and operation of grinding equipment.
• Teach employees how to evaluate blade wear, damage, geometry, and condition.
• Help establish proper grinding wheel selection, dressing, feeds, speeds, and operating techniques.
• Train employees to achieve proper blade geometry, edge quality, flatness, dimensional accuracy, and surface finish.
• Teach the proper use of micrometers, indicators, calipers, and other precision measuring equipment.
• Troubleshoot grinding problems including burning, chatter, poor finish, distortion, and inconsistent dimensions.
• Help establish standardized machine setups and operating procedures.
• Develop practical work instructions and training materials.
• Establish quality-control checkpoints for completed work.
• Recommend improvements to equipment, tooling, fixtures, and grinding processes.
• Mentor employees as they progress from trainees to independent operators.

Types of Blades & Cutting Tools

Parker Industrial Tool services a variety of industrial cutting tools and blades. Depending on your experience, this may include:

• Paper and printing knives
• Guillotine and shear blades
• Chipper and planer knives
• Granulator and recycling blades
• Woodworking knives
• Metalworking and fabrication blades
• Circular and straight industrial knives
• Other specialty industrial cutting tools

You do not need experience with every type of blade.

We're more interested in someone with strong fundamentals in precision grinding, machining, tool steels, measurement, machine setup, and problem-solving.

Who We're Looking For

The ideal candidate has significant hands-on experience in one or more of the following:

• Precision grinding
• Surface grinding
• Tool and die work
• Industrial blade or knife sharpening
• Manual machining
• Toolmaking
• Machine shop operations

We would particularly like to talk with someone who has 10, 20, 30, or more years in the trade and has accumulated the kind of practical knowledge that isn't always found in a manual.

Formal teaching experience is not required.

If you've spent your career showing younger machinists how to set up a machine, solve a grinding problem, hold a tolerance, or figure out why something isn't cutting correctly, you probably have the type of experience we're looking for.

Why This Role May Be a Good Fit

This position is intentionally designed to be flexible.

No need to go back to a 40-hour workweek.

We're looking for the right person and are willing to structure the schedule accordingly.

The position offers:

• Part-time hours
• Flexible scheduling
• Primarily weekday work
• No need to commit to a traditional full-time manufacturing schedule
• Hands-on work without the pressure of being a full-time production operator
• An opportunity to stay connected to the machining trade
• The satisfaction of teaching and mentoring others
• An opportunity to help build and improve a growing industrial sharpening operation

Your Experience Has Value

At Parker Industrial Tool, we recognize that decades of machining experience can't simply be replaced by a manual or training video.

We want to capture that knowledge and pass it on.

Our goal is to develop a grinding operation where employees understand not only how to perform the work, but why they are doing it that way.

The right person will help us build better machinists, better processes, and a stronger sharpening operation.

A Different Kind of Retirement Job

If you're retired or semi-retired from machining, tool and die, industrial maintenance, manufacturing, or precision grinding and occasionally miss solving problems in the shop, we'd like to talk with you.

You don't need to be looking for another career.

You may simply have valuable knowledge we'd like you to help us pass along.

Parker Industrial Tool
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Serving manufacturers and industrial customers throughout Chattanooga, North Georgia, and the surrounding region.

Pay: $25.27 - $30.44 per hour

Expected hours: 8.0 – 15.0 per week

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: In person

Salary : $25 - $30